If you're looking for a unique mix between art and furniture, make sure to check out the new Lexicon Collection from Baker.

LEXICON - Introduced by Baker, the Lexicon Collection includes this Chest on Stand crafted from walnut solids and finished with a variety of fiery walnut veneers. CNS Photo courtesy of Baker Furniture.

The exclusive collection is inspired by early 20th century forms with the results being at once strikingly modern and altogether familiar. Created by in-house designer Shaun Melvin, the collection of 44 pieces includes case goods, upholstery and lighting.

"Lexicon is based upon the individuality and hand craft of the early Modernist movements," Melvin said. "Although we are not reproducing designs of the past, the pieces have clear reference, incorporating the design principles to create a new body of work. Like the Modernists, I am acknowledging the world I live in and creating objects for my own time and place."

Paying tribute to the origins of the Modern theory, the case pieces are crafted from walnut solids and veneers.

Two wood finishes were also created to give a strong sense of collection to the Lexicon pieces. Clear finishes include natural with just a touch of honey for depth, while the deep cognac amber finish simmers with golden highlights. Two lacquer finishes, creamy ivory and midnight black, contrast the natural wood finishes to add depth and gloss.

The complementary light collection adds mood and visual texture throughout the home. The line includes two chandeliers, one scone, two floor lamps and four table lamps.

All lamps are fitted with custom fabricated components and are equipped to handle standard light bulbs.

Custom shades are individually designed for each of the styles and made from materials such as bone china, translucent and transparent glass, and linen. Table and floor lamp bases are handcrafted in ceramic or handcast from brass finished in a multi-step process to ensure a warm patina. Chandeliers feature hand-blown iridescent glass cut into shimmering wafers to catch and reflect the light.

"Like the best of vintage shops, Lexicon features objects that are simultaneously modern, tactile and warm," Melvin said. "It evokes the memory of window shopping on Paris' Left Bank. Richly colored painting from the Secessionists, perfectly proportioned settees from the French Rationalists, and lightly oiled tables from the Danish Masters. Everything feels contemporary and appropriate, but somehow connected to the past."

Who has the time and the patience for the cumbersome routine: putting down the base coat in one color, letting it dry, applying a second coat in a compatible color, and then the scrunching, sponging or brushing to get the pattern you want.

A new product, Michelangelo, has significantly reduced that process by creating a single-coat faux finish paint.

"You get the release of creativity without the aggravation of the time-consuming traditional method," said Jane Lockhart, designer and star of HGTV's "Get Color!"

It's easy to faux any finish with this new paint: Apply the base coat and, before it dries, create the look you want with the same tools you'd use for the old method. The secret of the paint is that by applying pressure, the base coat changes to a compatible color in the pattern you've created.

"And it's mistake-proof," Lockhart said. "If you don't like what you've done, just paint over it and start again."

How does Michelangelo paint change color just by applying pressure? It's not magic but no one at USG Corp., inventors of the process, will say because its patent is pending.

The paint comes in 24 colors with predetermined compatible colors. For instance, Jade Lagoon, a light green, changes into blue/green; Rose Petal from pale pink into a slightly darker pink.